Inflatable gasket



June 4, 1946. w. E. w. PETTl-:R ETAL 2,401,624

INFLATABLE GASKET Filed July 22, 1944 `latented June 4, i946 teu-2:4-

INFLATABLE GASKET William Edward Will vWilliam AMacey Wid Stanley Thomas Albe land, assignors to D Limited, London C company Application July 22, 1944, Serial In Great Britain May 31,

5 oisans.` (ci. 2li-e9) Our invention relatesto improvements in or concerning intlatable gaskets, and particularly relates to gaskets for'use 'in-aircraft provided with sealeddoors or cabins in its application to which the invention is more particularly described.

' In the case of aircraft-required tcfly at high' or rubber-like resilient material which may for altitudes where itis desired to maintain a higher pressure in the cabin than that of the surrounding atmosphere, it is necessary to seal such cabin or. door thereof with a seal capable of resisting a oughby Petter, gery, near YeoviL and Yeovil,

rt Richards, Yeovil, Enlunlop Rubber- Company unty, England, a British comprisesl a facing' strip-'3 or ilexible 'material such as rubber integrally joined to a thicker and less flexible'backing strip I of similar material.

pressure difference which may vary as the height of the aircraft increases.

The invention has for its object to provide an improved gasket which is inatable to form a seal with an adjoining surface or structure such as the fuselage of an aircraft and which is quickly releasable therefrom to break such seal by deflation of the gasket to permit the cabin or its door to be opened quickly in caseof emergency.

According to thisY invention we provide an inflatable gasket comprising a strip of iiexible jointing material and an inflatable tube, vthe said tube when deated and the said strip lying substantially in the same plane.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect reference is made, in further describing the same7 to the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a sectional view'oi one form of gasketccnstructed in accordance with the invention and shown. in operative association with part of an aircraft or other structure.

Fis. 2 is a sectional View of a second forni oi. gasket construc-tedin accordance with the invention in similar operative association to that shown in Fis l;

Fie. 3 is a sectional View of a third form. ci casket constructed in accordance with the inven tion and in similar' operative association totbat shown in Figs. l and 2..

Figs. dto d are sectional views oi.' component gasket parte. priorto their assembly into a gasket in accordance with the invention. 'A'

Fig. 7 is a sectional View of Va fourth combination of gasket assembled from the parts shown in Figs. 'd to 6 and inoperative association similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Referring to the drawing the improved gasket comprises a strip t of flexible ioiutiue material such as rubber and an. inatable tube 2 of similar material andt oi' rmarrow/er width than the strip i. said tube when denoted lying substantially in the saine plane as the strip t.

The facing strip I is composed of thin readilyv flexible rubber of uniform thickness and the backing strip I of thicker and less flexible rubber example taper in cross section from a thickness ofthe order of three-sixteenths of an inch at theedge 4portion. lo remote from the tube` to a thickness of the order of one-sixteenth oi.' an inch at its opposite edge Ib;

In a second construction shown in Fig. 2 the gasket comprises a backing strip 2l of rubber or the like of which the face is recessed to provide a.

visi-ling in thickness'from its edge portion tto as described with reference to Figs. l and 2. The channel may for example be of the order oi 0.07 inch in de'pth and 0.97 inch in width and the tube contained within such channel may measure 0.07 inch in thickness when deated and 0.94 inch in width so as substantially to ll thecbannel.

In a third construction asV shown in Fig. 3 in stead ofemploying a separate backing strip tt, tube tt and facing strip 33 as shown in Fles. l and Z we employe. single strip of rubber which' is folded to'inverted U section, the contiguous i surfaces so' formed being united adjacent their free edges ma to. constitute adjacent the remainine edge @lo a single tube it oinormallyattened formation. The' walls of the tube et may be prevented from adhesion to one another by the introduction of French chalk or other niaterial ini known mannerduring manufacture.

In Fles. e to 'I -is shown a modication of the structure shown in Fig. 3 in which modication the gasket is assembled `from componentl parte comprising a folded strip of rubber di Fig. e, a preformed dattened tube t2 Fig. 6. and a pack-Il ing piece id- Fig. 5. These component parte are assembled with the tube t2 in the bight or told of the strip @Land the packing piece 1filling the remaining space between the folds and then the walls of the strip di which' project beyond the tube are united` to the opposite sides of thepacking piece Bt by vulcanlzing or otherwise whereby` when the tube is deilated.

is formed the fourth construction oi gasket shown one another, the spacing being so adjusted that when inflated to the operative position as shown in dotted lines the ilexible wall of the gasket makes vsealing contact with the projection 48.

In the constructions shownin Figs. land 2 the resilient backing strip Il is deflected by the is. d 1. An inflatable gasket comprising a support-- inflation of th'e tube 42 which causeslsaidstrip to curl over towards the projection 46,4 the resistance to such deformation inherent in the resilientl rubber or rubber-like material servingto restore the gasket to the inoperative position The gaskets, particularly when of the construction shown in Figs. 3 and '1 in which th'e walls of the tube are of uniform thickness, may be provided witha guard plate 35er 45, the face of said plate adjacent the tube serving to resistnv the side .thrust exerted by such tube when `inilated and theI edge of the plate to protect the tube from accidental damage whenF deated.

g Means may be provided for inating the gasket tube said means preferably comprising an enginedriven blower having in its delivery pipe connected to the gasket arestriction whereby an increased pressure, o! which' the degree may be predetermined or controlled, is obtained between the restriction and the blower, such pressure being utilised to maintain the gasket tube at an intensity slightly higher for sealing purposes than the pressure within the cabin. Means may also be provided for deating the gasket tube in the.

form of an outlet valve connected to the tube of the gasket said valve being opened either by a 1 hand lever or by a coupling to the operating hani 4 dle controlling the opening door. l

Having described our invention, what we claim ing strip of flexible material having a free edge and a flat inflatable tube on one face of said strip near said free edge and anchored at both its edges to said strip, the wail of said tube being 'relatively more flexible than said strip whereby said free end of said strip bends toward said tube when said 4tube is inflated and draws said tube to a flat position against said strip when said tube is deflated?l n 2. The gasket of claim l in which said tube is mounted ima recess in said 'strip and lies entirely vwithin the plane of the recessed face of said strip. .v

3. The' gasket `of claim 1 in which' said tube is formed of a fiat thin strip of flexible material sealed at one edge to said ilexible stripnear the free edge thereof. and sealed at its opposite edge to the face of said flexiblev strip. l

4. The gasket of claim 1 in which'said s trip is of rubber composition. v f

' 5. A closure which comprises Va. supporting strip oi flexible material having a free edge,a projection having an edge spaced from a side of said strip, a fiat inatable tube mounted flat against and integrally secured at both -its edges to' said strip on the side thereof facing said projection wheerby said strip will .be bent toward said pro- `jection when said inflatable tube is inilated to seal against said projection and will draw said tube away from said projection to lie flat against said strip when said tube is deflated. WILLIAM EDWARD W'ILLOUGHBY PE'I'IE'R. WILLIAM MACEY WIDGERY. STANLEY THOMAS ALBERT RICHARDS.

of the cabin or its 

